Ohio State will play Illinois in an NCAA Big Ten Conference men's basketball game that will be live streaming from Columbus, Ohio at 7:00 PM ET.

One of these teams will end a four-game losing streak Thursday night, and the No. 17 Ohio State Buckeyes figure to have the edge as they search for a fifth straight home win in the series.

Ohio State's 15-0 start is a distant memory as it tries to avoid its first five-game slide since losing 17 in a row Dec. 28, 1997-Feb. 21, 1998.

"I'm not deviating from the plan in terms of what we have to do and how we have to do it," coach Thad Matta said. "But I've tried a lot of approaches over the last couple of weeks, I will say that."

Matta's former assistant with the Buckeyes, Illinois coach John Groce, can relate to his ex-boss's frustration. The Illini (13-6, 2-4) were ranked No. 23 before their longest slide since a six-game skid Feb. 5-21, 2012.

"Both teams, you know, pride starts to settle in a little bit, pride in terms of where both of us are at right now," Groce said.

The Buckeyes (15-4, 2-4) may have hit rock bottom Monday as they allowed Nebraska to post its first Big Ten victory, 68-62. LaQuinton Ross was held to 11 points after consecutive efforts with 22.

Defense has been the concern for Ohio State, which is limiting foes to a Big Ten-best 58.5 points per game. That figure is up to 71.8 during this slide, with opponents shooting 48.3 percent.

"We're not doing a good enough job of providing support, of being active," Matta said. "We're not tracking the ball in the paint the way we need to."

The defeat caused some soul-searching for Ohio State, which is zeroing in on this contest to kick-start a turnaround.

Groce was forced to explain his tirade during Saturday's 78-62 home loss to then-No. 4 Michigan State. The coach threw his suit jacket and yelled at officials one game after he complained to officials loudly in last Wednesday's 66-58 loss to Purdue.

"For me, my entire life -- passion, energy, emotion is a positive thing," Groce said. "The difference between emotion and emotional is two letters. ... I broke that line of emotion and, the two-letter difference, emotional."

Groce posted one of the biggest victories of his first season with the Illini with a 74-55 rout of the Buckeyes on Jan. 5, 2013. Ohio State earned a measure of revenge with a 68-55 win March 10 for its fourth straight home victory in this series.

The Buckeyes will play at home for the first time since their 16-game win streak in Columbus ended with an 84-74 defeat to then-No. 20 Iowa on Jan. 12.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and live streamed free on www.espn.com